The present invention relates to an amusement device and, more particularly, to a toy sword or drumstick which produces sound which is synchronized with the movement of the device.
Toys which emit sound and/or light have been very popular with children over the years. These devices typically contain a mechanical switch which is activated by the child to control a power supply connected to a sound generator or a lamp. An example of such a device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,450 to J. E. Scolari et al. This toy is in the form of a light sword which contains a mechanical switch on the handle to control the operation of a strobe lamp. Additionally, the sword contains an inertial switch within the sword blade. When the sword blade is moved sideways and its movement is interrupted, such as by contacting an object, the inertial switch closes to fire a strobe lamp and to generate sound from a sound generator.
Toys have also been marketed which produce a varied response, rather than an on-off type operation, when played with by a child. An example of this type of device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,394,491 to A. J. Valentine. This toy is in the form of a space weapon which contains a switch which activates a sound generator so as to produce an audio response having a fixed frequency. The device also contains a potentiometer which is connected to a knob which can be manipulated by the child. When this knob is rotated, the frequency of the note generated by the sound generator is varied. Thus, this device allows a child to produce a constant sound of a fixed frequency, a constant sound of a varying frequency, or an intermittent sound of constant or varying frequency.
It would be desirable to have a toy which produces sound which automatically varies when a child plays with the device. The varying sound would be synchronized with the movement of the toy and would not require the manipulation of a mechanical switch.